This week Kelly and I have been in the search for a vehicle to replace the totaled Envoy. Even though I had no interest in purchasing a new car, once I realized that insurance was providing a check – I got pretty excited to start car shopping. That excitement didn’t last long. Days later I sit here thinking “what went wrong”?
Like any nice tale, this story does end well – I have my new (used) car, of which I am thrilled. I can afford it (always a bonus) and my family is no longer inconvenienced by having only one car – what an inconvenience right?!?! But the process it took to get here was anything but a joy ride. I wouldn’t want this on my enemies; it’s stressful. I suppose since this is my blog it’s acceptable to vent, no? Well here it is…
1. There are too many cars to choose from. Even after narrowing it down to wanting a Honda or Toyota 7 passenger vehicle in the Des Moines area – there were still enough choices to keep me occupied online and in person for weeks. More on that later. Besides having too many cars, there are too many choices on cars. LE, XE, XE-L, and several more letters that make no sense to me. Then there’s seat material, external color, internal color, number of previous owners, A/C controls, on and on.
2. You have to deal with car salesman. They’re the worst. It’s harder to deal with them than it is mall kiosk workers. And it gets real interesting when you finally to engage the salesman in negotiation. I meant salesMEN not sales salesMAN. How many middle men do you dealerships hire? At one point I almost asked if I could speak to “the guy who was really in charge”. Fortunately I bit my tongue.
3. Once you decide on the car and you’ve crossed that threshold of finalizing the price and your blood is pumping with excitement to drive it home – you now are three hours away from officially owning the vehicle. I never want to sign my name to a sheet of paper again. Nor do I want to hear another spiel about purchasing warranty – the first time I said “no”, I meant it.
4. No matter what I bought and how much I paid – I know I got ripped off. That’s car buying. I’m afraid to know how much my vehicle has depreciated since I purchased it two hours ago.
Nevertheless, I know I will enjoy my new ride – a Honda Pilot. You didn’t think I’d make you read this whole lousy post and then not tell you what I purchased did you?
